TennoCon 2026 Updates: Warframe & Soulframe Guides

TennoCon 2026 is over, and Digital Extremes used the closing moments to pull back the curtain on what’s next for both Warframe and Soulframe. The developer shared new live-service updates aimed at expanding where players can go, who they can fight, and what new threats can reshape each game’s ongoing story—across two massive online action RPGs.

For Warframe, the focus was the long-awaited Tau expansion, a major addition that opens up a new region loaded with fresh dangers. For Soulframe, the spotlight landed on a new fable questline: it teases a weapon reveal, introduces darkside-style powers for players to adopt, and also sets up additions like player mounts and a fishing mini-game.

Here’s everything that was shown during TennoCon 2026.

Warframe: Tau expands the universe, adds Brysko, and sets up new content

The headline reveal for Warframe was the Tau expansion, finally brought to the stage at TennoCon 2026. Digital Extremes framed it as the biggest directional change the game has ever made, describing it as a full step forward for its long-running conflict between the Tenno, Albrecht Entradi, and the mysterious Man in the Wall.

With Tau, players will be able to travel to the Tau system—something that’s been teased for a long time. The area is tied to the Sentinels and to Orokin-colonies that have been shaped by Orokin terraforming. Tau’s signature location is the grim, alien, cyberpunk-style city called the Forax, which will function as a new hub space.

The Forax is built to mix open exploration with procedurally generated zones. It won’t be an open world in the same sense as the game’s other large-scale regions like the Planes of Eidolon or Fortuna, but it’s positioned as a blend of big-feel spaces and the tighter action-focused areas that players already know from elsewhere in Warframe.

Warframe’s Brysko: a sentient Chimera Warframe and character-led action

Alongside Tau itself, the demo introduced a new Warframe type: Brysko. It’s described as a Chimera Warframe that’s sentient and formed within the Tau system, and it will be voiced by Matt Mercer (known for Critical Role). The show also included a playable Lotus segment, after which Brysko was featured in combat—fighting as a gunslinger-style Warframe with sequences that were presented with a faster, character-action vibe.

Digital Extremes has leaned into character-first storytelling in more recent Warframe updates, and Tau’s narrative emphasis is tied directly to Brysko—specifically how the Chimera Warframe fits into the game’s future plans and ongoing conflicts.

Updates leading into Tau: Iceblade of Narin, deluxe releases, Nightwave, and more

Even though Tau is a major centerpiece, the studio also confirmed that additional content will arrive beforehand as part of the lead-up to Tau later this year. That includes:

A customizable Orokin Vessel that players will acquire.
Iceblade of Narin, a story quest built around a new location and a new Warframe for players to obtain.
New deluxe versions for Qorvex and Banshee.
A gameplay rework.
New Nightwave missions tied to the Amir’s Shockwave update.

Portau: Warframe’s first card mini-game

Another TennoCon reveal for Warframe was the game’s first-ever card mini-game, Portau. It’s built around poker-like mechanics, but with Sentient-themed twists.

The Sentient card game uses its own system of components—Blooms, Cores, Moons, and Suns—designed to iterate on poker rules while giving the mini-game its own structure.

Soulframe: Warsongs, Vadagar pact powers, and new gameplay comforts

Soulframe remains in alpha, and Digital Extremes is continuing to shape it into a more companion-focused experience that complements Warframe’s identity while still building its own high-fantasy tone. At TennoCon, the studio highlighted new updates aimed at pushing the Envoys into harsher territory—centered on a new threat and on a new way to engage with corruption by adopting the first dark powers, called vespers.

How to access Soulframe Preludes

One of the early announcements clarified that more players will be able to obtain access to Soulframe Preludes, which is the game’s current early access offering. Anyone who signs up on the official site before July 12 at 11:59 PM ET will receive access. The studio noted that invitations have already been going out, but this is framed as the biggest chance yet to get in.

Warsongs arrives this Fall: origin drama, new antagonist, and recurring cast

A key narrative reveal was Warsongs, a new fable mission scheduled for release this Fall. The questline expanded on the player character’s backstory, including how their mother became entangled in conflict with Tempest Bayor.

Tempest Bayor was also given more detail around why he’s motivated to act—information meant to help drive the events of the game. To further broaden the story, the production also brought in:

Ben Starr (Final Fantasy XVI, Expedition 33) as Tempest Bayor, described as a recurring antagonist and the red-armed anti-Envory.
Jennifer English (Baldur’s Gate 3, Expedition 33) as Empress of Eldveil, a supporting player ally.

The TennoCon demo: Tempest Bayor vs. the Envoy’s mother and the Vadagar pact

One of the most memorable moments from the TennoCon demo was a battle between Tempest Bayor and the Envoy’s mother. Both characters were shown as briefly playable during the Warsongs demonstration.

The demo ends on an encounter where the Envoy gets a first taste of the Vadagar pact. This pact is tied to the ability to embrace darkside powers—positioning it as a major step in the game’s darker path.

Dark powers and the Coiled Dawn: corruption, new weapon, and the darkest storyline yet

In the new questline, the player Envoy meets a form of corruption that grants a new Vadagar pact along with a new weapon. The developers described this as the game’s earliest attempt at delivering something like a darkside option for players to follow.

They also characterized this questline as Soulframe’s darkest storyline so far, offering players—if they choose—to build up their corruption powers. The weapon shown in the demo was the Coiled Dawn, a snake sword designed around wide, sweeping slashes built to take down multiple enemies at once.

Soulframe improvements: PvE challenge, mounts, and “Vegan Fishing”

Beyond the expanded fable content, TennoCon also pointed to quality-of-life updates coming to Soulframe during this year. As larger updates land later, players will be able to jump into a new combat encounter called a showdown with the Mendicant Reinbreaker.

That figure is described as a shadowy dark knight who may become a new ally once defeated.

Community-requested features were also highlighted. Digital Extremes showed players riding large wolves during the TennoCon demo, confirming mounts as an upcoming feature. Another new addition is fishing—presented as “Vegan Fishing”—which lets players relax while catching fish across the Alca. The goal is to gather intel about local wildlife while doing it.

Community focus and what comes next

Digital Extremes emphasized how closely it’s building Soulframe with player involvement. The studio said it likely announced the game earlier than planned, but that the outcome has been building the experience alongside the community. When players were first brought in to test and play early, it was framed as a chance to observe how people absorb the world and explore the details of what the team is constructing.

They also described the past year as a period of taking big swings with the game while continually working toward the next set of steps. The message to players was simple: even with the community’s support, development is still early compared to Warframe, and that early stage helps the team keep time with players and use feedback to strengthen the experience.

In the end, the takeaway from TennoCon 2026 is clear for both franchises: Warframe is expanding into Tau with major new story and gameplay systems like Brysko, while Soulframe is pushing deeper into its darker fable content with Warsongs, Vadagar pact powers, and a growing set of comfort features like mounts and fishing.